April 2004 National Weather Service Volume 3, Number 2 Forecast Process: Genesis of Gap Wind Weather Advisory Colin D. Sells, Meteorologist, Center Weather Service Unit, Anchorage, AK
[email protected] On March 30, 1982, 1,780 U.S. In what looked like a safe situa- In this Issue: Army paratroopers from the 82nd tion, 6 jumpers were killed and 158 Airborne Division jumped into drop injured, dragged by winds gusting up Forecast Process: zones at Ft. Irwin. to an estimated 40 mph. Genesis of Gap One of the drop zones was two An investigation concluded the Wind Weather miles long. Before the training jump, two locations where the winds had been Advisory 1 wind measurements were taken at measured were sheltered by high either end of the drop zone. The terrain. In between these points was a Alaska Aviation Weather wind speeds read 7 mph at one end, gap in the mountains. Winds gusted Unit: Providing and 11.5 mph at the other. the maxi- causing what the Army called a “Mass Aviation Weather mum safe wind speed for peacetime Casualty Incident.” Someone had Products and Services training drops was thought to be blundered. to the Alaskan Aviation 14.9 mph. Continued on Page 2 Community 5 When’s the Next Front? Would you like an email when a new edition of The Front is published? Write
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